At just 14 months old Autumn started vomiting each morning. Her pediatrician diagnosed her with an ear infection and treated her with antibiotics. A few days later she fell but seemed to be fine. At a follow up appointment for her ear infection, I told the doctor about the small bruise she had under her left eye from the fall. The pediatrician ordered an x-ray of Autumn’s abdomen to check for obstruction and a CT Scan of her head just to be safe. The CT scan was then followed by an MRI.

On October 18, 2007, Autumn was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She underwent 60 weeks of chemotherapy, only to find out that the tumor was growing. At just 3 years old, she faced tumor resection surgery. Luckily, things became stable and she did not have to have surgery.

Autumn has faced many challenges along her road and luckily she has overcome all of them. She is currently doing great and will be turning six years old soon. She loves Dora and the color green as much as she ever has. Autumn also loves to sing (Taylor Swift is her favorite!) and play in the sand box. Though she still has some days where she gets a little more tired than usual and her reflexes haven’t totally returned to “normal,” she’s a very healthy little girl. Her favorite food is Honey Nut Cheerios with strawberry flavored syrup on them. She will be starting first grade in the fall and loves to read “The Giving Tree” to anyone who will listen.

Autumn is blind in her left eye from her tumor and had eye surgery in July of 2010 to correct an out-turned eye. She gets MRI’s once a year and her doctor says she is doing wonderfully and that her tumor is stable.

We consider ourselves a lucky family, we still get to hug and kiss our little girl goodnight, every night. Other families, sadly, do not get to do this. I hope one day every parent gets to hug and kiss their child goodnight without the fear that it could be the last time. A cure is out there somewhere; we just have to keep looking, supporting, and fighting!